Ladders are typically comprised of a series of tubular rungs spaced apart at regular intervals and connected to and spanning a pair of longitudinal side rails. For purposes of weight reduction, and to minimize cost, in most instances the ladder's rungs are hollow and are fastened to the longitudinal side rails in such a manner that the ends of each rung are exposed along the exterior surface of each side rail. Ladders may be of a fixed length, such as a single section ladder or a step ladder. Ladders may also be of a variable length, such as in the case of an extension ladder.
Others have proposed the insertion of a variety of different devices and accessories into the hollow interior of a ladder's rung to provide support mechanisms, means to hang objects and devices from the ladder, and for a variety of other reasons. However, such prior devices tend to be complicated structurally, difficult and expensive to manufacture, and their attachment to the ladder is often difficult and time consuming. Such pre-existing devices are also severely limited in their capacity to assist in securing or maintaining the base or foot of a ladder securely to the ground or an object, and provide little assistance when ladders are used on elevated structures such as on the roof of a house or building. There is therefore the need for ladder accessories that may be easily and quickly secured to a ladder, that are simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and that enhance the safe operation of the ladder in a wide variety of different applications.